European Innovation Council Accelerator (Open)
EIC Accelerator Open
Closes in 19 days
Applications close 2026-09-02.
Grant-only component is a lump sum below EUR 2.5 million for innovation activities over max 24 months. Can be combined with an EIC Fund equity investment of EUR 1-10 million (blended finance). 2026 Open track budget EUR 414 million.
You must co-fund 30%.
European Innovation Council (EISMEA) / European Commission
public · supranational
Deadline: cutoff — EIC Accelerator 2026 short-proposal cut-offs at 17:00 Brussels time: 7 Jan, 4 Mar, 6 May, 8 Jul, 2 Sep, 4 Nov 2026.
This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.
Major bid — written case, budget, possibly partners.
You fund 30% yourself.
Who can apply
- Up to 499 employees
- Sectors: deeptech, any
- Stage: seed, series_a, growth
- R&D activity required
- Locally registered entity required
Single SME (incl. spin-outs, start-ups) or small mid-cap (up to 499 employees) established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe associated country. Individuals planning to create a company are also eligible. TRL 5-8 at entry.
How to apply
- Submit a short proposal any time (12-page form, pitch deck, 3-minute video) via the EIC AI-assisted platform
- Await evaluation result; short proposals are batched at each cut-off
- If successful, submit the full proposal (up to 20 pages plus annexes) at a chosen full-proposal cut-off
- If successful, attend the EIC Jury face-to-face/remote interview
- Grant agreement preparation; for blended finance, EIC Fund investment due diligence runs in parallel
What you will need
- Short proposal form (business idea, team, market)
- Pitch deck
- 3-minute video pitch by the core team
- Full proposal (business plan, freedom-to-operate, financials)
- Proof of SME status / company registration
- Declaration of ownership and control
Source. https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-accelerator_en — checked 2026-08-14
"Lump sum contribution below EUR 2.5 million ... equity or quasi-equity investments EUR 1 - EUR 10 million"